VN saves nearly 500,000 kWh during Earth Hour

HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam saved 492,000kWh of electricity, equivalent to VNĐ917 million (US$39,700), for one hour on Saturday night, according to the National Power Dispatch Centre.

During Earth Hour, people across the country switched off unnecessary electrical devices from 8.30-9.30pm.

This year’s figure represented a slight rise against the 485,000kWh of electricity saved during Earth Hour 2018.

Speaking at a ceremony held by the Ministry of Industry and Trade in response to Earth Hour in Hà Nội the same day, Vice President Đặng Thị Ngọc Thịnh said the event showed the determination and efforts of Vietnamese people to protect the environment and respond to climate change.

Earth Hour is the largest social event in the world, which has been observed in 7,000 cities in 172 countries and territories.

Việt Nam first joined the Earth Hour campaign, which is an initiative of World Wide Fund for Nature, in 2009 to cut greenhouse emissions by 8 per cent.

Together with the symbolic action of turning off unnecessary electrical devices for an hour on Saturday, many other power-saving activities were launched by businesses, households and schools during March to raise public awareness about saving electricity and protecting the environment. — VNS